Railway car



July 12, 1927.A

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Patented July 12, 1927.

UNirEo STATE"S paTENT ofF-FIoE.

AReYLE CAMPBELL, or CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, AssIGNon 'ro EN'rEErnisE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT CoMreNY, Io E -CHIcAc-o, rLLINors, A CORPQRATICN ,or ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY CAR.

Application filed March 16, 19.25. Serial No. 15,748.

rllhis invention relates to improvements in railway cars. i

An object of the invention is to provide a dumping door construction for railway cars 'of the general service type, in which the parts vof each' door are of metal, and arranged and braced in a novel manner, including elongated lvembossments in -the unsupported portion of the door yto reinforce the body thereof where the same is likely to sag under load, and including means for strengthening the free edge and-corner portions of the door to render the construction of exceptional value when associated with operating mechanism wherein the door `is supported upon a bodily movable shaft.

Another obj-ect of .my invention is to provide operating mechanism 'for controlling' the movements of the dumping doors, such mechanism including the so-called creeping shaft, which is mounted'upon the car structure and adapted for bodily movement to and from positions beneath the doors when the sam-e are closed, in conjunction with novel actuating means mounted on the car structure, and operative tofrotate the shaft to move the same into, and out of, positions beneath the doors, and wind and unwind connecting elements between the shaft'and doors.

Still another objectof the invention is to provide a novel form oflocking-mechanism for preventing retrogressive rotation of the operating shaft, the yconstruction being such that the locking means is operable at all times irrespective of wear between the parts due to the fact that the locking element travels with ythe shaft, and is normally urged to ope ative engagement by gravity.

'Other and further objects ofthe invention will more fully and clearly appear from the descrip-tion and claims hereinafter following. Y

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a lfragment of one side of a railway car, of the genera-l Vservice type, showing a-top plan view of `mear-.s providing a dumpingopening in the bottom-of :the car, land ahinged dumping door associated-therewith.' Figure '211s a transverse sectional view of the carstructure, substantially on the line 2#2 of Fig-'- operating shaft, :the side wall of the car belng` omittedto afford an unobstructed View vof the mechanism. vFigure 4 is an end elevation of afragment of the car, showing an end view of the shaft operating mechanism in itsy normal inoperative position, with the shaft disposedrbeneath the doors to retain the same in closed position. lFigure 5 is a vview similar to Figure 4L, the actuating member being omitted to more clearly expose the when in final closing position in which the shaft is disposed beneaththe doors to support the same in closed position. Figure 9 shows a view similar to .Figure 8, in which the actuating device is illustrated in position to start the movement of the shaft from its position'beneath the doors so as .to open the doors and Figure 10 shows the actuating device in position to begin the winding of the shaft to clos-e ythe doors.

v As shown-in the Vdrawings 10 represents al fragment of. the center sill of a Yrailway car of the general service type; 11- represents Aa kfragment of theside sill vof such car, only sidevof the car being illustrated, and it will beunderstood that the center and side sills 10 and 11 extend longitudinally throughout the length of the car,land that .a construction similar .to that illustrated in 4Figure l forms .the opposite side portion of Vthe car.' 'Thecenter and sidesi-lls 10 and l1 are connected at vintervals'by means of cross bearers'lQ which are connected to the side vand center sills 1n any suitable man-ner. y

Mounted along the top surfaces .of the cross bearersr are transversely kdisposed -iloor p0rvtions and Mya-nd upon thecenter vand t side sills arelongitudrnally yextending ioor port-ions l-and p16,"the .floor portion 16 .preferably being-in the form-of an angular member nsf shown, lthe various `parts of the car on YYboth sides being-arranged in a similar manner, and as shown defining dumping openings 17. The cross bear-ers 12 are provided with elongated slots 18, at their outer ends, each slot being reinforced by means of brackets 19, secured to the crees bearer, the brackets having slots similar to the slot 1S, the members being` formed to provide a depression 20 at the outer end of each slot. Mounted for rotation in the slots 18 is the winding shaft 21, such shaft being capable of free rotation, and bodily translation, within the slots 18 in the cross bearers. Each shaft 21 preferably extends throughout half the length of the ear through the various cross bearers 12, and is provided at intervals with gears 22, preferably two to a door opening, and disposed in position to engage cooperative means on doors associated with the openings which will be hereinafter more fully described. Each of such gears has formed therewith a drum 22, to which is adapted to be connected a chain or the like as hereinafter referred to..

My improvements broadly, reside in the doors A for closing the dumping openings, the locking mechanism B for the operating shaft and an actuating device C for imparting' rotation to the operating shaft.

As above referred to a plurality of doors A are provided, one for each of the dumping openings 17 in the bottom of the car. Each of the doors A is of a novel construction comprising a metal plate of a size slightly greater than the dumping opening with which it is associated, such plate being provided along its forward and side edges with depending integral flanges 23, 24t and 25, and with a rear flange 26 which is inclined rearwardly and curved, so as to fit beneath the floor portion l5 associated with the center sill.

Each of the doors A is swingably mounted upon the center sill 10 by means of hinge butts, preferably three in number which are secured to the center sill by means of rivets, and in spaced relation, two of the hinge butts 27 preferably being located adjacent the side edges of the door opening, and the remaining hinge butt 28 mounted centrally between the two outer hinge butts. The hinge butts 27 and 28 are cut out to accommodate the curved iange 26 upon the door plate. The central hinge butt 28 is connected to the plate forming the door A by means of aV hinge strap 29 riveted te such door and pivotally connected with the hinge butt by means of the pivot pin 30. The two outer hinge butts 27 are also provided with hinge straps 31 pivotally connected with the associated hinge butts 27 by means of pivot pins `32. VDoor braces 33 are provided which are in the form of angle members, one flange of which is secured to the door plate by means of rivets, and the other flange of which is disposed inwardly of the side edge of the door, and lies substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door plate. The door braces extend transversely across the door plate to a point adjacent the outer free edge thereof, the rear ends of the door braces being disposed in position to be secured to the hinge straps 31, rivets being provided which extend through the hinge straps 31, the horizontal flanges of the braces, and the door plate.

Adjacent the forward edge of the door,

and terminating a slight distance from the door braces 33 is a longitudinally extending brace in the form of a Z bar '34 one horizontal flange 85 of which is riveted to the door plate, the other horizontal flange 36 being disposed somewhat below the plane of the door plate and the web of the Z bar being disposed perpendicularly to the plane of the door plate.

lnterposed between each end of the Z bar El, and the adjacent vertical flange of a door brace 33 is an angular member 37, one flange of which lies between the end of the Z bar .and the adjacent vertical flange of the brace, and the other flange of which is secured to the flange of the Z bar 34 by means of rivets. Disposed on the outer side of each vertical [lange of the related door brace 325 is a rack casting 38, provided with a rack 39 on its under surface, which rack cooperates with the wheel 22 to keep the door shut, the flange 253 of the door plate being recessed as indicated at 4t() to permit the projection tl'ierethrongh of the outer end of the rack on the casting. The side wall 4:1 of the casting lying against the vertical flange of the adjacent brace 38 is fastened in position by means of rivets which extendv through the wall 41, the vertical flange of the adjacent door brace, and the vertically disposed flange of the supporting plate 37. The top wall 42 of the casting is secured to the door plate by means of rivets 43. Each casting B8 is reinforced by suitable ribs 44., and a depending flange 45. rlhe casting is also provided with an eye 4G for the reception of a chain or other suitable connection member (not shown) between the door and the operating shaft.

In order te strengthen the portion of the door plate lying between the braces 33, the metal is pressed upwardly to provide embessments 48. which are of elongated oval or elliptical form, the major axes of which extend perpendicular to the pivotal axis of the door, the extremities of the embossments at their outer ends extending approximately to a point in line with the web of the Z-bar 34, and their rear ends extending to a point adjacent the rear'edge of the door. The minor axes of such embossment are of such extent as to provide approximately equal spaces between the outer sides of the embessments and the braces 33, and between the inner adjacent faces of the embossments,

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A'the embossments covering approximately sired to do so, the shovel will slide easily over the'sloping surfaces of the embossments, and also that the greatest length is at the forward and rear ends of the embossments to provide for an unobstructed flow of material 'when the doors are opened. The construction of the door can be somewhat varied if desired so that the center hinge strap 29 may be extended toward the' Z-bar 3st a sutiicient distance to provide a stii'l'ener in which event the embossments 4-3 could bc made smaller in size. By this arrangement it will be apparent that the door is braced by the members 33, and yby the Z-bar, and the rack members are securely connected by the plates 37 both to the braces 33 and the Z-bar so that the rack members which support the door upon the shaft are vsupported by the. framework, and not vby the metal of the plate'itself. It also should be noted that the einbossments brace the portionof the door Which is most likely to sag under the weight of the load imposed thereon, such embossments being arranged so that the p-ortion of the door-between the underlying reinforcements 'is braced in a sii/nple and economical manner. The ldetailed construction of the door as abovev described not claimed herein, but forms subject matter of a divisional application.

Means, including the locking mechanism B, and actuating device C, are provided for operating thev shaft 2l for opening and closing the doors A, on-e endV of the shaft 2l terminating` a slight distance beyond the end Wall of the car. The end Wall construction of the car is modified in order to afford means for applying actuating` and locking mechanism for operating `the shaft 2l to open and close the doors.v This end Wall construction includes the usual end sill 50, through Which the shaft 2l passes, the .end of the shaft projecting beyond the end sill as indicated at l. The Wall 52 of the car is providedwvith an outwardly turned iiange vportion 53as shown, Secured .to the outer Vface of theend sillO is a Vbracket .54. such bracket'being provided with an ripper :flange 55 which isse'cured to the' tlangeimember 53 lbyv means Yof rivets 56.v lThe bracketis' also provided with angoifset portion including a transverselvdis osed Wall 57 which isV )rovided with a `centrally disposed slot'58, the remaining angular nortion l59 of the bracket extending parallel with the 'body portion of 4*the bracket. Bracing plates 60 and 6l@L are secured to the end sill, andto the bottom vof )the bracket so .that the same is securely held in position.

liixedly 'attached to the projecting end portion 5l `of-the shaft i911 at some little ydistance from Vthe end thereof is a iratchet wheel 6l, such ratchet Wheel being provided lwith hubs 62 on its opposite sides. Loosely .niountedmipon the hubsof-.the ratchet wheel 6l .are plates 63, the yinner end portions of such plates being :reduce-d asindicated at 164, suchLreduced portions extending through the slot :58.in t-he"transverse Wall 57 of the bracket, the reduced portions being secured together by-suitable spacers and rivets 6.3.

` The outer ends of the plates 63 aredisposed 'f outn-'ardly of said shaft and below the same, providing extensions .66, the outer extremities of -such extensions being .secured together by a pivot pin 67 upon which is vpivotally mounted a locking cam A68, Which is provided lwith an oti'set 69 at one end.

`r-l`he yinner portions 7G "of ythe extensions 66 are also secured together by means of a pivot pin 7l ,upon which is pivotally mounted a gravity 'operated locking paivl 72. -Suchx pawl is provided with a iinger73 adapted to engage 'the ratchet Wheel 6l, and the linger -73 is held in engagement lby the Weighted tail portion 7 4 of the paWl 7 2. The pa-Wl 72 is .provided vwith a linger 73 adapted to engage the ratchet Wheel 6l, and the finger 73 is held in engagement by the weighted tail portion 7 fit of the pawl 72. The tail portion'of the paWl 72 is provided with a notch y 75 adapted in certain positions to be engaged by the o lfset member 69 of the cam 68, as shown Ain Figure 6. It will also be noted fino that the cam 68 may beturned to position 'to lock the paWl 72 'in engagement with the ratchet Wheel 6l, as shown in Figure 5.

The actuating mechanism C is carried by the bracket and the end Wall of the car. This mechanism includes'a supporting element 76 having arms 177 at each .side thereof which extend inwardly beneath the liange 55 ofthe bracket, such arms bein@ secured to the ybracket and to the `flange 53 of the end Wall by means ofthe rivets 56, and to the bracket by means of rivets 79. porting element 76 is disposed some distance outwardly from the locking mechanism B, and is provided centrally with journal bearings 80 and with a recess 8l, the recessSl being for the reception of the journal portion'82 of the actuating lever 83, which is adapted tobe-pivotally mounted on the supporting element 76. 'The supporting element `76=is provided `with a curved flange 76 for ment and through the bore inthe related The sup- 1 portions of the lever 88 and secured by some means as a pin. yl`he body portion of the lever 8&3 is offset relat-ive to the portion 82 carried by the pivot pin 8e, and such body portion is provided with suitable openings for the reception of a claw bar in the usual manner. The' lower depending portion 8G of the lever 83 carries a pivot pin 8T upon which is mounted an operating pawl 88, which is adapted in certain positions to effect rotation of the shaft 2l by engagement with a toothed member 89 which is lreyed to the outer extremity 9() of the shaft 2l. The pawl 88 is provided with an engaging portion 91, which is located a predetermined distance from the pivot pin, and is also provided with an engaging portion Q2 which is located a relatively less distance from the pivot pin 87, the pawl 88 being swingably mounted whereby the portion 91 may be engaged with the toothed member 89 when it is desired to rotate the member 89 to close the doors, and to engage the portion 92 of the pawl with the toothed member 89 when it is desired to rotate the toothed member for imparting opening rotation to the shaft 2l. rllie teeth 93 of the ratchet wheel are somewhat undercut as indicated at 94, and the engaging portions 91 and 92 of the pawl 88 are shaped for the most efficient engagement between the parts to prevent accidental disengagement thereof.

In operation assuming the shaft 2l and the toothed member 89 associated therewith to be in a released position as indicated in Figure l0, the lever portion 8?) of the act-u ating mechanism may be swung ,outwardly toward the side wall of the car, and the portion 9i of the pawl 88 engaged with atooth 93 of the member 89. A bar may be inserted into the openings 85, and the lever n'iember swung inwardly which will cause a counter-clockwise rotation of the member 89, and of the shaft 2l. Wvhen the lever has been swung the maximum distance inwardly, the same is again swung outwardly and the portion 91 of the pawl 88 reengaged with a different tooth of the member 89, and the operation repeated until the connections between the shaft and the door are wound upon the shaft and the saine begins its bodily inward movement, at which time the gears upon the shaft will engage the racks 39 upon the rack members which are secured to the doors, so that further operation of the lever will move the shaft to position beneath the door, so as to support the saine in closed po i on. During this movement retrogressive rotation of the shaft 2l is prevented due to the engagement of the pawl 72 with the ratchet wheel 6l, the pawl of course following the ratchet wheel due to t-he fact that the members which carry the pawl move with the shaft.

When the shaft is in fully closed position the pawl may be locked against movement by turning the cam member 68 thereagainst, Figs. et and 5,

When it is desired to open the doors, the cam member 68 is turned to the position shown in Figure 6 so as to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 61. The lever 83 of the actuating mechanism is then swung inwardly, and the portion 92 of the pawl 88 engaged with a tooth of the member 89 as shown in Figure 9. By inserting a suitable bar in the openings 85, the lever 88 may be swung outwardly, rotating the member 89, and the shaft 2l, in a clockwise direction, causing the shaft to travel out from beneath the doors due to the engagement of the gears on the shaft and the rack members on the door, the shaft after this position is reached, freely rotating to permit the complete opening of the doors.

it should be noted in connection with the mechanism above described that the locking pawl follows the shaft and the related ratchet mechanism, and due to its mounting with the weighted end urging` the same into position, the pawl automatically compensates for wear, and there is no possibility of failure in operation. It should also be observed that the actuating mechanism is mounted upon the car structure, and does not travel with the shaft, and hence there is absolutely no likelihood of the actuating inen'iber rotating with the shaft when the same tends to unwind under the weight of .the load imposed thereon, and therefore is safe to operate and provides a very economical and efficient construction.

l/Jhile l have herein shown and described what l now consider the preferred manner of carrying ont my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

l claim:

l. In a dump car, the combination with a bodily translatable door operating shaft; of a toothed wheel on the shaft; a fulcrum disposed on the ear structure above the shaft; a lever member carried by said fulerum; and means carried by the lever adapted to engage the toothed wheel to rotate the shaft.

2. In a railway car, the combination with a bodily translatable shaft; of a ratchet wheel iixedly mounted on the shaft; a lever pivotally mounted on the car structure above the level of the shaft; and a pawl pivotally mount-ed on the lever at a point below the level of theshaft, said pawl being adapted to have engagement with the ratchet wheel to rotate the shaft by oscillations of the lever.

3. In a car door operating mechanism, the Combination with a bodily translatable shaft; of a toothed member on the shaft, a

fulcrum above the shaft; a lever pivotally mounted on the fulcrum, said lever having a web p-ortion adapted to vswing in a plane adjacent the toothed member; a pawl pivotally carried by the lever and disposed in the plane of the toothed member for engagement therewith; and lever receiving means formed on the web portion of the lever and disposed on the side opposite to the said pawl.

4. In a railway car, the combination with dumping doors; of a bodily translatable shaft movableto and from a position beneath said doors when rotated; a support secured to said car structure; a member pivotally mounted upon said support and normally independent of said shaft; a toothed member on said shaft; and an operating pawl movable into engagement with said toothed member; and operable upon movement of said actuating member to rotate said toothed member; said operating pawl being reversible to rotate said shaft in either direction, one operating portion of said pawl being of greater' length than the other.

5. In a railway car; the combination with dumping doors; of a bodily translatable operating shaft movable to and from a position beneath said doors when rotated, said shaft projecting beyond the end sill of the car and being provided with a toothed member; a support on the car structure comprising an outturned iange on the end wall thereof; a supporting bracket mounted on said flange; an operating lever pivotally a mounted on said supporting member; and an operating pawl adapted to engage said toothed member to rotate said shaft.

6. In a railway car, the combination with dumping doors; of a bodily translatable operating shaft movable to and from a position beneath said doors when rotated, said shaft projecting beyond the end sill of the car and being provided with a toothed member; a support on the car structure compristion beneath said doors when rotated, said shaft projecting beyond the end sill of the car; a bracket secured to the end sill of the car and provided with an odset portion having means forming a guide; a ratchet member mounted on said shaft and provided with hubs on its opposite side; plates rotatably mounted on the hubs of said ratchet wheel and having extensions connected together and slidably mounted in said guide, said plates being provided with portions disposed outwardly of, and below, said shaft; a locking pawl pivotally mounted between said portions and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel; a toothed member secured to the outer end of said shaft; a support on the Iend structure of the car comprising an outwardly turned flange; a supporting bracket secured to said flange and said bracket; a lever pivotally mounted on said supporting bracket; and an operating pawl pivotally mounted on said lever and adapted to engage said toothed member for rotating said shaft.

8. In a car door mechanism; the combination with a bodily translatable shaft; of a ratchet wheel fiXedly mounted on said shaft; a lever pivotally mounted on the car structure at one side of the shaft; and a pawl pivotally mounted on the lever at a point on the other side of said shaft, said pawl being adapted to have engagement with the ratchet wheel to rotate the shaft by movement of the lever.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of March, 1925.

ing an outturned flange on the end wall thereof; a supporting bracket mounted on ARGYLE CAMPBELL. 

